Javon Small scored 25 points, Amani Hansberry had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and West Virginia held on to defeat UCF 72-65 on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Small, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who entered as the second-leading scorer in the Big 12 at 18.2 points per game, chipped in nine assists and seven rebounds to flirt with a triple-double. The Mountaineers (19-12, 10-10 Big 12) won for the 10th time in their last 12 Senior Day games before the upcoming conference tournament at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Small had 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including five 3-pointers, in the first half as West Virginia took a 47-25 lead into the break. The Mountaineers shot 47.6 percent (20 of 42), made 7 of 22 triples and collected 24 points in the paint during the opening 20 minutes.
A 24-10 run pulled UCF (16-15, 7-13) within 60-49 at the 9:35 mark of the second half. Darius Johnson hit two free throws — after Sencire Harris received a technical foul — but Hansberry’s layup stopped a lengthy West Virginia scoring drought and gave the Mountaineers a 62-49 lead with 7:46 to go.
Johnson’s layup closed the gap to 67-64 with 2:04 remaining, but freshman Jonathan Powell’s fifth 3-pointer came with 1:19 left and gave the Mountaineers breathing room.
West Virginia, which overcame 13 second-half turnovers, enjoyed a 40-37 advantage on the boards, moving them to 11-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent.
Johnson, who highlighted UCF’s Senior Night victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday by scoring a career-high 36 points, again led the way on Saturday with a game-high 27. Keyshawn Hall, the leading scorer in the Big 12, finished with six on 1-of-10 shooting.
Moustapha Thiam added 13 points and seven rebounds and JJ Taylor came off the bench to score 12 points. The Knights committed 17 turnovers leading to 16 West Virginia points.
Following its loss and Oklahoma State’s win over Cincinnati on Saturday, UCF will be the No. 14 seed when first-round games in the Big 12 Tournament begin on March 11.
–Field Level Media
